Change in venue on basis of 'false presumption': CoP

Last updated on: April 18, 2010 21:25 IST

City Police Commissioner Shankar Bidari asked IPL to reverse its "unfair" decision on shifting venue from Bangalore to Navi Mumbai on security reasons, saying it was taken on the basis of "baseless and false presumption."

"If they don't revise the decision to shift, I am afraid BCCI will be committing a serious mistake and will be besmirching the fair name of a secure city like Bangalore," he said in a statement here.

He said the Karnataka government and state police are committed to providing foolproof security to semi-final matches in this city and "will take full and complete responsibility for the same".

"Even now, I would appeal to BCCI to consult IPL security officials, security consultants of foreign teams, Karnataka state cricket association (KSCA) President and KSCA Secretary to reverse their decision to shift the semi-final matches to Navi Mumbai," said Bidari.

He described as baseless and far from the truth, BCCI Vice President Rajiv Shukla's statement that the matches were shifted after he (Bidari) had expressed apprehensions over security for semifinal matches on April 21 and 22 and said he had at no time stated anything to this effect.

"The statement by Rajiv Shukla that I have expressed apprehensions regarding providing security cover for semi final matches is far from truth and baseless," he said.

Bidari said he had held a meeting, attended by IPL security officials, security consultants of foreign players, KSCA President and its Secretary and explained the measures taken to provide foolproof security for the matches.

Following his assurance, all of them had informed the media that the semi final matches would be held as per schedule at Bangalore, he said. Two low-intensity explosions near Chinnaswamy cricket stadium less than an hour before an IPL match on Saturday had left 15 persons, including five security men, injured.